Disclaimer: I do no own any of the characters from the DC world, universe. I'm merely having a bit of fun with them.
Summary: How many times have you had an argument with a loved one, trying to get them to understand that you care for them? The love between Barry Allen and Leonard Snart is strong, but even they have their moments of weakness and feel the need to talk to each other. Okay so they raise their voices a little, trying to be heard. Maybe one doesn't notice that something is wrong before with the other, but the love is there. That's what matters most, right? What do you mean your one worry, the things of your nightmares, could come true?!
Warning: Male/Male love. If not your cup of tea, probably not something you'd wish to read, but it could be read as a friend love? Use of foul language is also in this story.
Saturday night couldn't arrive fast enough, but with it came a bit of trouble. They were arguing again. It was over Barry's safety and whether or not he actually cared about himself. Barry knew it was a risk going after the current meta like he did, but he also knew he had to save those people. Central City was home to many different kinds of people. Some were regular everyday citizens, others had special powers, meta humans. Some meta humans chose to use their powers for good, while others decided to use them for not so good things. There were also those that took it upon themselves to capture those that decided they wanted to use their powers for evil. This group was considered heroes. Barry was one of these people, heroes, and his boyfriend, Leonard Snart, who also happened to be a criminal at times, decided he didn't appreciate the harm that Barry continued to put himself in while trying to apprehend these metas that decided they didn't want to use their powers for good reasons. The meta Barry was currently pursuing had the power to add more nitrogen to the oxygen in an area creating Nitrous oxide. Normally, there wouldn't be too much of a cause for concern for this, but the fact that the person, or people, that were introduced to such a large quantity soon found themselves with respiratory problems or even dead.
"Barry! Don't you realize one of these days you're going to head straight into a fight you have no chance of winning? Then where will you be? Where will I be? You know I can't do this without you. Why do you keep testing this?!" Len asked.
Barry started to answer, but he realized they had an audience and he felt that this was a conversation that was probably better off private.
"Hey Barry, I think I need to check…"
"Sorry Catlin, we have to go." Barry said cutting her off and grabbing Len before running them to their shared two br/two bath apartment.
"You know I hate it when you do that." Len stated as he roughly pulled his arm away from Barry once they had arrived.
"I know and I'm sorry, but we really need to talk and I didn't want everyone at the lab hearing us." Barry responded coughing a little.
Len had just turned his back to Barry when Barry suddenly swayed dangerously to the right. He grabbed onto the couch and managed to straighten back up before Len even noticed.
"I'm serious Barry. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I'm scared. Yes, I'll admit it. I'm actually scared one day I'm going to get a phone call that tells me that you're dead. What am I supposed to do if that happens? Please, please think of me when you decide to run off into danger, saving people. You know I love you for who you are, I just want you to have a plan. Some kind of a plan before you go running off. Do you understand?" Len asked.
Barry could completely understand what Len was asking. He was grateful that Len always had a plan when he went on his heists. He also had back up plans to his original plans just in case. Granted Barry always managed to foil Len's plans, but it was a thing they did.
"Yeah, I understand. Can we just…" Barry started and stopped and coughed a little more.
"NO! I don't think you understand at all. I need… to calm down." Len said and grabbed his jacket before heading to the door. "I'll be at Mick's."
Barry made to follow him, but he quickly pitched sideways and collapsed onto the ground. Len was none the wiser as he merely closed the door behind him, heading off to Mick's to cool his head. Barry could feel his heart racing faster than normal for him, being "the fastest man alive" and all, and he couldn't seem to get enough breath in his lungs. He tried to call out for Len to come back, but he couldn't get a sound past his lips. He gripped his chest as he tried to turn onto his back, but pain quickly followed. When it became unbearable, he passed out.
Unsure how much time had passed, Barry woke up to the darkness in the apartment, but the pain in his chest was gone. He frowned in confusion as to what could have happened, but he took notice of how cold he felt and looked up to see the throw blanket that they kept on the couch was nearby. He slowly lifted a hand and grabbed it, pulling it over himself before he passed out again.
***The Flash***
"I mean, am I wrong for feeling this way? For letting him know how worried I am?" Len asked.
"No, you've every right to let him know how you feel, but you also know what you signed up for when you took on falling in love with a hero." Mick stated.
Len could only sigh as he knew, but he was hoping to hear that he was right and that be it. He knew there was going to be some tight spots when he found himself in love with the kid, but he had to admit, he'd actually been secretly hoping that some of his bad habits would rub off on the kid, not the other way around. He sighed again as he took a sip of the beer that Mick had handed him.
"Yeah, I know. It still sucks." Len commented under his breath.
Mick merely smirked and turned back to the show they had cued up on Netflix. It wasn't a half bad show, but it was also mostly supposed to help get Len's mind off things. As it was nearly two in the morning and Len hadn't stopped complaining and ranting since he arrived, Mick figured maybe now Len was getting tired and would go back home.
"I need to go. Sorry I just showed up and dumped all this on you." Len said.
"Meh, what are friends for?" Mick waved him off. "It'll work out. Don't worry about it."
Len merely nodded and got to his feet. He placed his empty beer bottles in the recycling bin and grabbed his coat. One last sigh and he left through the door he had entered in.
"What are you doing to him Red?" Mick questioned out loud.
With a shake of his own head, he set about cleaning up and getting ready for bed.
Mick didn't live terrible far from where Leonard and Barry chose to live, but it was still enough of a drive for Len to clear his head and realize what he really wanted to say to Barry. With that resolve in mind, he drove home and made his way into their place. There was a single light on as he entered their apartment, he noted he couldn't see or hear Barry anywhere. He made quick work of the locks and quietly called out to Barry. Not receiving a response, he figured Barry was in their bed asleep. When he took note that the bedroom door was wide open and there wasn't a slender, muscular, body curled up in the bed, Len frowned in slight worry. He looked to the kitchen and saw that Barry's phone was sitting there on the counter. He didn't like that one bit. Barry didn't go anywhere without his phone. So then, why hadn't Barry answered him when he first called out for him?
"Barry?" Len called a little louder.
Len paused expecting to hear a sound of the toilet flushing, but he got nothing.
"Barry? Answer me." Len was starting to get a little worried.
This wasn't like Barry. Even if they were angry at each other, they still answered each other. Then there was the fact that Barry's phone was still in the house. Len moved around the living room and frowned when he thought he heard a moan.
"Barry?!" Len called when he finally saw him.
The throw blanket was wrapped around Barry and he seemed to be caught up in a nightmare. Len bent down to pull the blanket off him and drew his hands back as if he'd just burnt them on something hot.
"Shit! Barry wake up, you're burning up."
Len jumped up to get oven mitts and rushed back over to Barry to get the blanket off.
Barry tried to cover himself with his arms, but his body shivered as if cold. He almost looked like he was vibrating.
"Barry? Hey, I need you to open your eyes. Barry, can you hear me? Please open your eyes." Len called.
Barry merely moaned again and unconsciously tried to find a heat source. Unable to find one within his arm reach, he gave up and curled into himself and shivered. Len had no idea what was happening, but he knew he couldn't leave Barry like this. He got up and removed the oven mitts so he could run for the nearest bathroom and start filling the tub with lukewarm water. Once the tub was filled to a high enough point, Len grabbed the oven mitts again and picked Barry up. He was seriously burning up and Len quickly got him into the bathroom and into the bathtub. Oven mitts off again, Len set about trying to cool Barry's body down. He was sure he saw smoke coming off Barry's body, but he wasn't able to completely tell as Barry was having none of this new development. He thrashed and attempted to get out of the situation that he was in, but he wasn't strong enough. Soon his struggles died down and he tried to wake up enough to beg Len to help him. He was sorry for what he'd done and he was sorry that he couldn't promise that it wouldn't happen again, but he didn't think he deserved this harsh treatment.
"Baby, you're burning up. Do you hear me? You're way too hot." Len tried to explain.
It was like Barry couldn't hear him. He took up keening as he suffered in the hands of the one that he loved. Unable to do anything else for him, Len left him in the tub and ran for his phone. He called Dr. Snow and told her what was happening and that she needed to get over to them straight away.
"I'm on my way. I knew something was wrong." Catlin stated while she hung up.
"What's going on?" Cisco asked.
"Something's wrong with Barry. I have to go." She responded and ran around grabbing everything medical she could think of that she might need.
"What?!" Cisco asked trying to get more information, but wasn't able to get much more out of her.
***The Flash***
Catlin left S.T.A.R.L.A.B.S. in a somewhat timely manner and arrived to Barry and Len's place without breaking too many traffic laws.
She knocked on the door as soon as she arrived and set to work once Len let her in. She could tell something was really off about Barry when she first tried to say something to him, but he left in such a hurry she didn't get to say anything. Now she was kicking herself for not forcing the issue. This probably could've been avoided if she had pushed hard enough.
"What's going on? What happened?" She asked.
"I don't know. I left him because I was upset. I came back thirty minutes ago and I found him wrapped up like a burrito behind the couch."
"Behind the couch?" Catlin questioned.
"I don't know how he got there, but when I tried to remove the blanket, he practically burnt me with his body heat. I know he runs hotter than most of us, but that was way too hot. I had to use the oven mitts to touch him and move him to the tub."
As Catlin took in everything, she quickly grabbed a thermometer from her bag and tried to get Barry's temperature. He moaned and tried to move away from her, but there was only so much space in the tub. Surprisingly, he hadn't attempted to drown himself with thrashing, but Len seemed to keep him calm. When she finally got the reading, she gasped and set Len to making ice packs. She only had two in her bag and they were going to need a large number more.
"Please…" Barry had taken up saying this over and over again as both Catlin and Len were loading ice into the tub at this point.
Gradually, Barry's body stopped vibrating enough that it helped to bring his temperature down. Catlin pointed out that Barry's body was trying to fight off whatever was in his system and it caused his body to vibrate more and the friction was causing heat and that was why Barry seemed as if he were on fire.
"He looks so pitiful. What can we do?" Len asked.
"We can only hope that this bring his temperature down, but doesn't help whatever he's fighting win." Catlin responded.
Eventually, Barry gave up trying to ask for help and fell silent. His lips were turning blue at this point, but Catlin assured Len that this was helping Barry more, not hurting. Barry managed to cough a few times before he seemed to have stopped breathing all together. Catlin had a mask over his face and she could tell he was breathing, but very shallowly. Len could only continue to kick himself for his behavior, but Catlin assured him that it wasn't his fault. It had to be the meta that he took on earlier. This only served to fuel Len's earlier point, but it also scared him in the fact that this could be the time that Barry was taken away from him. As stoic as Len seems, or at least attempts to seem, he was crushed and he collapsed at the thought. Catlin finally got Barry to a manageable state and had Len remove him from the bathtub. Len gently laid Barry on their bed and covered him with the sheet. Catlin listened to his vitals before stating she could do nothing more, but monitor Barry. The two of them set about watching over Barry. If he so much as twitched at the beginnings of a nightmare, Len was right beside him talking to him softly. It took about four hours of observation and three more hours of making sure Barry's temperature wasn't climbing again before Catlin figured he'd made it out of the woods safely.
"You have my number should you need anything else, but I'm very certain that Barry will make a full recovery." Catlin said and gathered her things before heading to the door.
"Thank you Dr. Snow." Was all Len could get out.
He was tired and it showed, but he had to take care of Barry. Once Catlin left, Len sighed and made his way back to Barry's side and tried to stay awake, but sleep finally caught up with him.
It was a feeling of light kisses that brought him slowly back from his managed sleep. He was pretty sure Barry should still be asleep, so he wasn't sure who was asking for a death wish, but he'd be more than happy to oblige their request. His eyes flew open and he leaned back far enough to start to head butt the person when he opened his eyes and realized that it was indeed Barry.
"Whoa!" Barry managed before falling into a coughing fit.
He struggled a moment to get his breath back, but he was successful.
"Barry…" Len started and gently wrapped his arms around his love.
Barry merely hummed in happiness and allowed Len to hug him. He slowly returned the hug, but it was a hug nonetheless.
"You look like crap, but how do you feel" Len asked when he pulled away.
"I feel…" Barry managed before another coughing fit took him.
He sat up in bed and finally got the coughing under control, but he was winded and he fell back against the pillows that were now propping him up. For a few minutes, Barry could only breathe as if testing the waters. Shallow breaths in and out before he attempted to answer Len's question.
"I'm going out on a limb and say I know you weren't going to say fine." Len remarked as he got to his feet and made his way to the bathroom and grabbed one of their small rinsing cups full of water for Barry.
When he returned, Barry was still slightly winded, but his breathing wasn't as fast as before.
"Here..." He said holding the cup out for Barry. "…small sips."
Barry took a few sips and then a deep breath.
"I'm okay." He finally managed.
Tears, from his coughing earlier, were drying in tracks down his face, but the fact that he was awake at all was all part of the beauty that Len saw in him at that very moment.
Barry seemed to have a bit of a fever, Len saw from the redness that appeared in his cheeks.
"Len, I'm sorry." Barry stated looking at Len before his eyes closed again.
"No I'm sorry." Len started. "I know what I signed up for when I feel in love with you. I guess I just didn't expect for it to turn out in such a way."
"I really do understand where you're coming from Len. Look at you and what all you do. I worry when you go out on your heists that one day you might not come back because something can go wrong, or that I'm not fast enough to get there. I know you have plans upon plans if something were to go wrong, but I still worry."
"And that's what I needed to remember. I'm sorry Scarlett." Len apologized.
Barry merely nodded and rested his forehead against Len's. The two sat there in their moment for a while before Barry's stomach growled.
"Let me go get you something." Len said.
"I'd like that." Barry said and leaned back against the pillows again.
He closed his eyes and had managed to fall asleep while Len made him something to eat. When Len brought it in for him, he smiled as he looked at his love.
"We'll get through this." He stated and gathered his mental strength to do just that.
Author's note: I hadn't written anything in a while. I hope you enjoyed this read. Let me know what you though? Until next time...